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There are sometime you will reach out to the sack in which you keep the potatoes only to discover that some of them are having sprouts, some may thought that, perhaps they are no longer useful. This happens a lot of time, and sometimes it can bug someone mind that “can potatoes that have sprouted be eaten”? You might have heard it from someone that it can be dangerous to eat potatoes that have sprouts on them. So this prompts me to do some research online in order to have and come out with affirmative answer to the question. So the question is, thus:

Can Potatoes That Have Sprouted Be Eaten?

Yes, you can eat potatoes that have sprouts on them, provided they are still intact and firm to grip. Before you consume them, make sure you cut off the sprouts to be on the safer side. A firm sprouted potato still has some of the vital nutrients in place. But it is advisable to stay away from shrink and soft sprouted potatoes, as some of the starch in them would have been converted to poisonous compounds that are dangerous to the nervous system.

Source: gawker.com

Keep reading this article to discover why it is safe to eat sprouted potatoes. You just discovered an amazing potatoes recipe you want to try out, only to see that the potatoes you are planning to use are having some sprouts on them. It can be frustrating especially if you want to prepare the dishes for dinner. It would not be easy to get another set of potatoes at that point in time. Should you use the potatoes anyhow or change you dinner menu? Some people thought that once potatoes develop some sprout, they are no longer use consumable and they need to get rid of them, but that is not the case anyway, if you have been doing that for long time, you need to stop wasting those precious potatoes.

A research carried out by some food scientist at University of Lincoln shows that potatoes with sprouts and consumable and are absolutely safe, as long as you remove those sprouts before you consume them. Also, a research chemist stated in a paper published in a Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, that natural toxin called Glycoalkaloids are produced in all parts of potatoes plant, these include the leaves, roots, tubers and sprouts. If this toxin is consume in large amount, it can cause great effects on the body and these can result in vomiting, nausea etc. More so, the sprouts tend to have more of this toxin substance than any other parts of the potato, that is why it is very essential get rid of them before you cook the potatoes.

How To Remove The Sprout From Potatoes Effectively.

The sprouts on the potatoes might not be consumable but they are not waste completely, as they can be used to plant another sets of potatoes. But if you are going to eat those potatoes, it would be very important to remove the eyes completely in order to make them safe to consume. We are going to look at the step by step procedure to remove those sprouts completely and effectively. Before that, you will need a sharp knife, veggie peeler, scrubbing sponge and a bowl of water to get the job done. Thus;

Step 1: wash your hands and the utensil you want to use thoroughly before anything.

Step 2: make use of your fingers to snap off the longer parts of the sprouts. You are going to be left with small eyes which are easy to get rid of with other utensils.

Step 3: place those potatoes in a bowl of water after snapping of the longer part of the sprouts. Better still, you can simply wash the potatoes at the faucet in the kitchen zinc under the running water. Then scrub the sponge on the potatoes to remove the short eyes and the blemishes.

Step 4: use the vegetable peeler to shave the remaining shallow eye from the potatoes. You can also use the veggie peeler to get rid the job done if you are planning to remove the entire skin of the potatoes.

Step 5: use a sharp knife with caution to completely remove any leftover sprouts. It would be good to remove some starch of the potatoes along with the sprouts to be absolute sure that the prepared potatoes are sprout free.

Can You Eat Green Potatoes?

No, you should not eat green potatoes, they are harmful and poisonous. Green tinges on the potatoes indicate toxic substance called Solanine. The green tinges on the potatoes are caused by exposure of potatoes to sunlight for a while. If the green tinges are not many on the potato, you can just cut out the area and cook the remaining parts. You should avoid eating potatoes that have green spots on the most part of their body.

How To Keep Potatoes From Sprouting

To avoid growing of sprouts on you newly bought fresh potatoes, you need to store them on a cool, dark and dry place. Though most people are found of keeping their potatoes in the storage containers, but the best place to keep those potatoes in order to increase their shelf life is brown paper sack. Sprouts grow on potatoes when they are placed in an environment that is too hot or too bright. The ideal temperature to keep the potatoes to avoid sprout is 50 C of the room temperature. Avoid getting your potatoes from getting wet as damp potatoes rot and sprout faster. If the potatoes get wet in one way or the other, it would be better to leave them on the shelf or counter to let them dry before returning them back into the sack. Do not keep your potatoes alongside the likes of onions, mangoes, banana, yams etc as these will trigger the growth of the sprouts faster. Some people found the uses of apple, by placing them among the potatoes, to be effective in keeping the potatoes from sprouting. You can as well rub the potatoes with Lavender, dried sage, and rosemary’s herbs to prevent them from sprouting. Also, spearmint and peppermint also help to keep the spout growth at bay.

Healthy Benefits of Potatoes

1 Store House For Vitamins And Minerals: potatoes are packed with enormous vitamins and minerals e.g. low calories, fat, protein, fibers, vitamins C and vitamin B6, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus etc. the skin also contains come of the essential vitamins and minerals. Peeling off the skins of the potatoes means reduction of vitamins and minerals in you prepared potatoes.

2 Source Of Antioxidants: Potatoes have antioxidants like Flavoniods, Carotenoids and Phenolic acids in them. These types of antioxidant are good in preventing free radical in the body. Free radical has been link to heart diseases, diabetes and cancers. So by including potatoes in your meal plan is one of the ways of minimizing the chances of having those diseases. A study also shows that those antioxidants are liable to suppress liver and colon cancer in the body.

3 Help In Improving Blood Sugar Control: Potatoes contain special type of starch called resistant starch, they are not easily digested in the body until they got to the large intestine, in which they are feed on by the guts. This resistant starch helps to reduce resistance of the insulin and aid blood sugar control in the body system.

4 Enhances Bone Health: Potatoes have sufficient amount of minerals like zinc, calcium and magnesium. All these minerals are essentials for strength and rigid bone structure in the body. The zinc plays a vital role in cell division, cell growth, healing of wounds and fastens up the breaking down of the carbs. The calciums are also good for strong teeth and blood clotting.

5 Decrease Blood Pressure: The amount of potassium, calcium, and manganese in the potatoes helps the body to decrease the blood pressure naturally. Potassium in the body leads to vasolidation, and helps in widen of blood vessel which in turns helps to reduce blood pressure to the heart.

6 Improve Health of The Heart: Potatoes contain fibers in a good amount needed by the body system. Fibers help to reduce the cholesterol and sugar level in the body. The fibers also help to keep the colon cell healthy and digestive tract flowing properly.

7 Reduces Inflammation: Potatoes contain choline, a very important and versatile element to the body. A large potatoes contains about 57 mg of choline on average. The choline absorbs fast in the body, helps in transmitting of nerves impulse and enhances brain development. An adult needs between 425 mg and 550 mg depends on the gender.

8 Gluten Free sources: if you are on a diet plan and you want to add gluten free to your meal plan, the good news is that potatoes are one of those gluten free foods out there. Potatoes are beneficiaries to celiac disease patients.

Source: colourbox.com

Some Interesting Facts About Potatoes

The word Potato originated from Spanish word called “Patata”

Unlike other tuber crops, potatoes do not grow from seeds by from their pieces.

Potatoes can be used to remove rust from metallic materials.

Potatoes are essential in production of citric and fumaric acids as well as ethanol.

Potatoes of all Types are made of 80% of water and 20 of solid materials.

Some physicians claimed that potatoes can be a very potent aphrodisiac.

Potato is one of the tuber crops that can easily turn green.

Potato chips are invented as a product of mistake.

Potatoes contain all the essential nutrients for human being to survive.

After wheat, rice and corn, potatoes hold the fourth position on the world staple food ranking.

China leads the world in the production of potatoes.

Common Faq About Potatoes

1 Is it harmful to eat potatoes every day?

Yes, it is not good for your health to eat potatoes every day, especially the potato chips. A study carried out among adult men and women, which was published in NY Times, shows that consuming potatoes more than four times in a week increases ones chances of developing high blood pressure. Also, four or more serve of potatoes chips in a week are likely to increase high blood pressure at least by 17%. So it is advisable to eat boiled maybe two time in a week at max and serves of chips should not be more than three times in on every fourth night.

2 Do potatoes make someone fat?

No, potatoes do not make you fat as it is portrayed, but the way they are cooked will determine their reaction in the body maybe they will lead to fat or not. Different researches have shown that cardiovascular diseases, obesity and type 2 diseases has no direct link to the consumption of potatoes. Potatoes also contain soluble fibers which enhance weight lose as they provide the body with long fullness in the stomach.

3 Are Potatoes High In Carbs?

Potatoes have higher Glycemic Index (GI), but not necessary high carb but they are high in fibers, low in calories amount, has a lot of vitamins and minerals. Other food that have high carbs include Diary milk, yogurt, ice cream, fruits, grains, breads, rice, sugary sweets, plant based proteins etc. potatoes have very moderate carb contents in them.

Things you can do with the leftover Potatoes.

One thing that makes potatoes so unique from others is the varieties of ways in which you can prepare them for food. Some of the ways of preparing potatoes include, but not limited to, mashing, grilling, slicing, frying, baking etc. Sometime we do have some potatoes left over in the sack and it does not make any sense to leave them waste. There are so many things we can do with our leftover potatoes at home. One of them is shepherd’s pie:

you can prepare this by cooking some meat and vegetables in gravy, you can also mix them with cheese to make a fabulous meal. Other worthy of mention include: croquette, waffles, samosas, Gnocchi, Potato salad, potatoes soup, hash, potatoes pancake, poutine, burrites etc.

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